It’s Out of This World!
By Peter Filichia — Many a musical theater writer has found that following a smash hit with another is difficult if not impossible. So after Cole Porter had the biggest success of his career — Kiss Me, Kate on New Year’s Eve, 1948 — critics and audiences may have just been expecting that his next […]
Additions That Really Added Up
By Peter Filichia — Fifty years ago this week, Wildcat opened with one of the most beloved stars of the era: Lucille Ball. Composer Cy Coleman and lyricist Carolyn Leigh certainly gave her a honey of a number to tell just what her character Wildcat Jackson was made of: “Hey, Look Me Over!” The irony […]
Can You Say The Zulu and the Zayda?
By Peter Filichia – Might you indulge me in a personal story? It’s Tuesday, Nov. 9, 1965 around 5 p.m., and I’m returning home from school — but not before I stop at Harvard University’s “Coop” in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For some time now, I’ve been treating myself to an original cast album every payday, and […]
A New “Twelve Days of Christmas”
By Peter Filichia — It may be the song that many people most dread during the holiday season: “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” For one thing, the song is certainly is longer than “Rumson Creek” in Paint Your Wagon — and perhaps even longer than “Soliloquy” from Carousel. How about twelve different musical theater Christmas […]
40 Reasons to Be Thankful
By Peter Filichia — Thanksgiving is upon us, so let’s get in a thankful mood. Here’s hoping that you indeed have a great deal for which to be thankful: health, relatives, friends, a job you like, financial security and enough leisure time. Let’s also be thankful for the music that has filled our lives and […]
